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State does little to stem income disparity

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Sunday December 22, 2013 5:05 AM

The excellent Monday
Dispatch article “Rich prosper amid large income gap” reported that between 1979 and 2007,
the wealthiest 1 percent’s after-tax household income grew by 275 percent.

By contrast, the 60 percent of households in the middle- and lower-income groups saw their real
after-tax income grow by 40 percent.

Economists differ on the causes for the gap and the changes required to narrow the gap.

The Oct. 28
New York Times article “Ohio governor defies GOP with defense of social safety net”
explained why the gap will increase in the future: “Ohioans earning in the top 1 percent will see a
$6,000 tax cut under the latest budget passed by the Republican-led legislature while those in the
bottom fifth will see a $12 increase, according to Policy Matters Ohio, an independent research
group.”

We continually speak of the ever-growing income gap and then pass laws widening the gap,
especially in Ohio, a flat and regressive tax leader.